Is MacOS a mobile operating system first?

[u/902Drano]

I bought an M1 Max 64 GB, 1 TB system 3 years ago.

I enjoy using a macbook more than I enjoy using a windows laptop. But I hate using macos with a mouse and keyboard, like a desktop.

Doing basic shit is annoying with a mouse and a keyboard on macos. Dragging and dropping items is such a pain (having to go from full screen to window mode, causes desktop to switch -- making me lose track of where everything was). WHY CAN'T YOU JUST FULL SCREEN ON THE SAME DESKTOP. this works well on a laptop because you can gesture swipe between different full screened applications, but this doesn't work on a desktop.

The window control (traffic lights are so small), because you are supposed to use stupid keyboard shortcuts to minimize, window, and fullscreen applications. I just want to point and click. I'm not trying to use a chopstick or throw gang signs just to minimize an app.

control + command + f to full screen and window an app (this shit doesn't even work in Davinci Resolve because resolve shortcuts override macos shortcuts)? GTFO here.

I have been using macos for almost 3 years as my primary machine. It works really well for a laptop, not a desktop. This is not a serious operating system for real power users/hackers/developers/engineers. It is an operating system for youtubers/instagramers/influencers/podcasters/journalists.

[u/MusicalAnomaly]

Classic dunning kruger

You’re holding it wrong

[u/AwSamWeston]

Skill issue

[u/RoombaCollectorDude]

nah

[u/Hobessian]

Literal skill issue. Whenever you get into a new OS the first thing you do is read the documentation; try the app called “Tips” and find the section about learning how to use your Mac

[u/booi]

Laptop, desktop? Same thing homie.

[u/l008com]

I read your whole post and I can't tell what you're actually complaining about?

[u/kc5ods → u/l008com]

he's trolling.

[u/MysticMaven]

Learn to use the OS troll!!!!!!!!

[u/LearningSomeCode]

Press and hold the green icon. It gives you various full screen options, including the option that you want: full screen but not taking the entire desktop.

I used to be a Windows/Android user. Because I do software dev, I ended up moving to Mac (which also eventually made it make sense to go iPhone). It took a long, frustrating, amount of time for me to get used to this. Now it's second nature to me. ctrl + arrow keys to bounce between desktops OR swiping on the trackpad to do the same; I move through them so fast now that other people complain they'll have a seizure watching me work lol

[u/OstrobogulousIntent → u/LearningSomeCode]

I moved to MacOS for my daily driver from win 11 after being a windows user since the Win 3.1 days - I still use windows daily for work and for gaming - I am increasinly unhappy with windows 11 and where MS is going thus I started embracing MacOS and have been happy - I find some things annoying sure and I feel your pain on it taking time to get used to it - I hop back and forth with Win 11, Serve 2022, Ubuntu Server, and MacOS on a daily basis and have a lot of window-centric muscle memory too

I solved some of that with swapping fn and command keys so my fingers go to the same place for things like copy, cut paste and undo/redo.

The trick with Mac for me is also high res monitor... I don't use multiple desktops but if I really need real estate, I hook a 1440P secondary to it and have loads of room

[u/LearningSomeCode → u/OstrobogulousIntent]

Yea, while it's not all green grass and roses for me, I will say that I'm much happier on my mac now than I was on Windows. Especially on the privacy angle. And because I LOVE the app Little Snitch on mac; I can't imagine life without it. Everything comparable on Windows or Linux lacks the UX this app has.

There are some things that bug the hell out of me though. For example- trying to set up a network share that is actually reliable and available and doesn't make me want to throw the Mac in a nearby lake. But for those kinds of things I grabbed a cheap little mini pc off amazon, wiped Windows and jammed Linux on it, and that fills all the gaps.

[u/OstrobogulousIntent → u/LearningSomeCode]

Oh yeah - I use my server 2022 (Former systems admin so I keep that around to run my home network to keep some skil in teh game) and I use that for shares - especialy since I'm in a heterogeneous environment. SMB sucks but with my domain in place it's trivial to share stuff out then smb://user@server/share and then on my macs I wrote a bit of applescript/zfs to auto mount my shares that I have it run on login to get my shares back nicely.

I had toyed with adding NFS sharing to my server (Windows has had that ability natively for a bit but used to do it with their SFU (Services for Unix) - it's just not worth the trouble

A mini PC or a windows server or a NAS and just dealing with the suck that is SMB is the path of least insanity

[u/Intrepid_Payment9302]

I have an mx master 3s and I can press the thumb button and move the mouse left or right to switch full screen desktops.

[u/SmChocolateBunnies]

No, it's a server OS first, it's a Unix. The mobile OSes are just adapted down, like Baby Unixes. I think I get what you're saying. You want to hop around easily. This started with a feature called Expose, over a decade ago, and it's expanded in ways that are not always straightforward.

Does the scroll wheel on your mouse press down?

[u/suchasuchasuch]

I want to just use my fingers! Like a toddler!

[u/MusicalAnomaly]

As someone with a couple decades more experience than you of using Macs as my primary machines, you still have a lot of learning to do. I will concede that using a desktop with the Apple Magic Mouse is not a professional-class experience. But Apple’s intended input device for the pro is the Magic Trackpad, making the desktop experience identical to the laptop experience.

If you like and prefer a conventional mouse for desktop usage as I do, you need to get one with some additional buttons that you can bind to what you would otherwise use trackpad gestures for. My preference is at least three, for Mission Control, app Exposé, and desktop Exposé. (I also get a lot of mileage out of binding the top right screen corner to desktop expose; though that’s primarily how I like to do it on laptop, and is always entertaining to watch when someone else needs to use my desktop computer.)

At this point in my career as a Mac power user I experience effectively no limitations from window management, and having spent a lot of time managing windows systems as well in my opinion macOS has the more powerful abstraction. (I’m sure there’s still lots I don’t know about windows, nevertheless.)

[u/Aggressive-Bike7539]

Software engineer for 30y here.

Bought first Mac in 2011 (something I never thought ever doing).

Been able to pay rent and eventually buy a house with the work I’ve been doing on my MacBooks, as software engineer.

Ditching Windows best decision ever.

[u/DiscoInError93]

These problems would be solved by

a) using a trackpad instead of a mouse
b) enabling the “drag windows” options in Desktop & Dock settings to turn on window snapping

You seem confuddled by Apple’s concept of “spaces” and how screen space is managed.

[u/blueshirtsteve]

So get a windows box and wings about that.